Black Men Teach

Welcome to Black Men Teach! Black Men Teach (BMT) is a non-profit committed to bringing more representation to Minnesota classrooms. With a mission to recruit, prepare, place, and retain Black male elementary school teachers, we’re molding the next generation of educators and improving outcomes for our students of color.

To DONATE, we recommend that you give directly on our website to avoid paying administrative fees. 

OUR MISSION is to recruit, prepare, place and retain Black male teachers in elementary schools.

OUR VISION is that all students have the opportunity to attend schools staffed with racially and culturally diverse teachers and leaders, reflecting the students’ race, ethnicity and cultures, thereby creating an environment that affirms students for who they are.

Black Men Teach creates the environment and conditions where Black male teachers can thrive, because our children’s schooling experience will never be complete without them.

The concept of fellowship is woven throughout the BMT program. Our men work together in groups and support one another through the process of becoming an educator, and the process of managing and directing ALL students towards success and self-actualization. This fellowship among the men is often listed as the single most important component of BMT’s model.

THE FACTS: Minnesota has one of the largest racial achievement gaps in the country, and the need for Black male teachers has never been more urgent. In 2023, Black students in Minnesota graduated at just 72.1%, compared to 88.7% for their white peers. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, Black students consistently underperform in areas like reading and math, with achievement gaps as wide as 30%. Furthermore, the “teaching gap” starts early—despite Black students making up about 11% of the state’s K-12 population, Black men represent only .05% of Minnesota’s teachers. This stark underrepresentation leaves our students without the mentorship and role models they need to succeed.

When Black male educators are present in the classroom, the results are undeniable:

    •    Black boys in elementary school who have just one Black teacher are 29% less likely to drop out of school.

    •    Students who have two Black teachers by fifth grade are 32% more likely to enroll in post-secondary education.

WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR:

• Developed partnerships with 8 local elementary school principals who are aligned with BMT’s mission and committed to creating comprehensive teacher induction programs and creating a welcoming environment to Black male teachers.
• Since 2020, BMT has provided 13 men already in elementary classrooms with student loan repayments. 
• Since 2021, we’ve placed 26 Black male educators in our partner schools.
• Since spring 2021, BMT has supported 11 student teachers with living stipends and comprehensive mentoring as they prepare for full licensure and placement.
• Since 2022, more than 66 men are currently in or have gone through the teacher training pipeline at the baccalaureate level and master’s degree level receiving up to $20,000 each in scholarships and comprehensive mentoring from BMT.
• Launched a high school recruiting program in 2021 that has mentored 60 young Black male students, several of whom are now in college training to be educators.

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE: 

This fall we launched a new program to support Black male paraprofessionals becoming fully credentialed teachers, and a partnership between the University of Minnesota and BMT to support graduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) relocate to Minnesota, pursue their master's degrees in education and prepare for teaching careers in the Twin Cities.

These efforts are part of a broader collective initiative that brings together a network of community members, organizations, and institutions to advance equity in education. Known as Thrive by 2035, the group seeks to increase the proportion of Black male elementary school teachers to 20% of the teaching staff within the approximately 100 Minnesota elementary schools with student populations of 40% or more Black students by 2035. That’s nearly 400 new teachers who are Black men!

You can support BMT by giving through this platform with GiveMN or go directly to BMT’s fundraising platform here.

Thank you for supporting BMT and Give to the Max Day!

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